Refinery To Add New Pollution Control Equipment

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The skyline of Cheyenne is about to change slightly with the addition of a huge new piece of pollution control equipment at the city's HollyFrontier refinery.

Right now, the $30 million scrubber lies sideways on the refinery site and looks a bit like a spaceship or a submarine.

Next month, a crane will set the scrubber upright and it will stand 177 feet tall. That's taller than the state Capitol, which is 146 feet high.

The goal is to enable the refinery meet upcoming federal air pollution standards. Refinery officials said Wednesday the scrubber will reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 60 percent and smelly sulfur dioxide emissions 75 percent.

The scrubber works in part by forcing emissions through streams of water. HollyFrontier expects it to be fully operational in September